Marine Scotland

  • Significant Celebrations for Scottish Freshwater Organisations

    9th May 2018 by

    2018 is looking to be quite a significant year for two organisations at the core of freshwater research in Scotland. Marine Scotland Science’s Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory (FFL) at Faskally in Pitlochry, has just celebrated its 70th anniversary and the Scottish Freshwater Group (SFG) has just turned 50. Freshwater fisheries research has been a Government responsibility…

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  • Trans-Atlantic Co-operation

    8th March 2018 by

    The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) in Massachusetts contacted Marine Scotland on the 20th February, requesting assistance to retrieve one of their gliders. The glider was deployed near Iceland, but had broken down and had been drifting at the surface since November 2017, and was now approaching the western coast of Scotland …fortuitously near to where…

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  • IA2017 – Eutrophication is still a problem in some areas

    18th September 2017 by

    Eutrophication is the result of excessive enrichment of water with nutrients. This can cause accelerated growth of algae (phytoplankton) and plants. This may result in an undesirable disturbance to the balance of organisms present and ultimately to a decline in the overall water quality. Eutrophication is not always a local problem. Water masses continuously move…

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  • IA2017 – New developments in the way biodiversity is assessed

    11th September 2017 by

    OSPAR is committed to protecting and conserving ecosystems and biodiversity through the management of human activities, guided by an ecosystem-based approach to management. The development of internationally coordinated biodiversity indicators is a relatively new field for OSPAR. In the Quality Status Report 2010, OSPAR assessed ten ecological quality objectives developed for the North Sea which…

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  • IA2017 – Marine litter is a problem

    4th September 2017 by

    OSPAR has assessed the occurrence of marine litter in all regions within its Maritime Area, except for the Wider Atlantic where there is poor data availability. Marine litter, in particular plastic, is abundant on beaches, in the water column and on the seafloor. Marine litter also affects biota, as indicated by the levels in North…

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  • IA2017 – Mixed signals for marine mammals

    28th August 2017 by

    The abundance and condition of marine mammals, as top predators, can help indicate the state of the marine ecosystem. As was also the case at the time of the last OSPAR Quality Status Report (QSR 2010), harbour seal and grey seal populations are generally stable or increasing in most assessed areas although some harbour seal…

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  • IA2017 – Cooperation ensures progress

    21st August 2017 by

    The OSPAR Commission is the competent regional organisation guiding international cooperation on the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. Through the global circulation of water and air, the North-East Atlantic is connected to, and impacted by, events in other parts of the world. As such, collaboration among governments and between government scientists,…

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  • IA2017 – Discharges from offshore oil and gas installations have decreased due to OSPAR measures

    14th August 2017 by

      OSPAR has developed programmes and measures in respect of all phases of offshore oil and gas activities and undertakes annual assessments of discharges, spills and emissions from offshore oil and gas installations. Hydrocarbons and ‘chemicals’ are routinely discharged to the marine environment during offshore oil and gas operations. Assessment of the data for the…

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  • IA2017 – Contaminant concentrations are decreasing, but concerns remain

    7th August 2017 by

    OSPAR countries have made significant efforts to reduce discharges, emissions, and losses of contaminants to both air and water. The effect of these efforts is clearly visible in reduced inputs to the Greater North Sea. The observed decreases in contaminant release from land-based sources and the offshore oil and gas industry show the continued progress…

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  • IA2017 – Radioactive discharges from the nuclear sector have decreased

    31st July 2017 by

    OSPAR collects data on authorised discharges and environmental activity concentrations for several radionuclides. For the purpose of evaluation, OSPAR distinguishes those radionuclides that emit alpha radiation (total alpha activity) and those that emit beta radiation (total beta activity). Discharges from fuel reprocessing plants are much reduced but remain the dominant source of discharges from the…

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